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U.S. Department of Energy
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Protocol for aquatic hazard assessment of selenium

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:229271
A procedure is described for conducting an aquatic hazard assessment of selenium. Hazard is characterized in terms of the potential for food-chain bioaccumulation and reproductive impairment in fish and aquatic birds, which are the most sensitive biological responses for estimating ecosystem-level impacts of selenium contamination. Five degrees of hazard are possible depemding on the expected environmental concentrations of selenium, exposure of fish and aquatic birds to toxic concentrations, and resultant potential for reproductive impairment. An example is given to illustrate how the protocol is applied to selenium data from a typical contaminant monitoring program.
Research Organization:
Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
OSTI ID:
229271
Report Number(s):
PB--96-146469/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English